"Holidays and Traditions" (62)
Children categories
There are many holidays in Great Britain. They are Christmas day, Boxing Day, New Year's day, Easter, May Day, Spring bank holiday and Summer bank holiday. Public holidays in Great Britain are called bank holidays because the banks as well as most of the offices and shops are closed. The most popular holiday is Xmas. Every year the people of Norway make a present to the city of London. It is a big Xmas tree which is placed on Trufalger square. Central streets are beautifully decorated. During Xmas groups of singers go from house to house. They collect money for charity and sing carols, traditional Christmas songs. Many churches hold carol services on the Sunday before Xmas. The fun starts the night before, on the 24 of December. This is the day when people decorate their trees. Children hang stockings above their beds, hoping that Santa Claus will come at night and fill them with toys and sweets. Xmas is a family holiday. Relatives prepare for the big Xmas dinner of turkey and Xmas pudding and everyone makes and receives presents. The 26th of December, Boxing Day, is an extra holiday after Xmas. This is the time to meet friends or sit at home and watch TV. New Year's day is less popular in Britain then Xmas. Besides public holidays there are some special holidays in Britain. One of them takes place on the 5th of November. On that day in 1605 Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the House of Parliament and to kill King James I. But he didn't succeed. The King's men found the bomb and took Guy Fawkes to the Tower. Since that day the British celebrate the 5th of November.
There are also some smaller and lesser known holidays in Great Britain.
Imagine you are walking along one of the streets in a modern capital and a group of children or teen-agers come up to you and throw buckets of water over you. You become so confused and embarrassed without knowing what to do. Whether to call the police or protest or begin to cry? It's quite difficult to answer this question when you are in France or Germany or Russia or in some other country. But when you are in Armenia the answer is simple: you have nothing to do but smile and laugh a lot as it's a national holiday called Vardavar which is celebrated on 14th Sunday followed after the Easter. Vardavar is one of the beloved, joyful and memorable holidays of Armenia. According to an ancient legend in pagan era it was devoted to Atghik, a pagan goddess of love and water. Some experts assert that the holiday is connected with the Flood and Noah who orders his sons to spray water to each other in commemoration of the flood. Today Vardavar is devoted to the great event of Christ's transformation. It's a well-spread tradition to spray water to each other in Vardavar which is still maintained. Since morning both the old and the young water each other with buckets. Noone gets offended with one another. People are very kind and happy that day whereas for the young and the children it's the most expected and favourite holiday of the year.
Every nation has its own customs and long-lived traditions. (Каждый народ имеет свои обычаи и долголетние традиции)
There is a great number of exciting events which take place in every country throughout the year. (Есть большое количество волнующих событий, которые происходят в каждой стране на протяжении года)
Traditions play a more important role in the life of the people. (Традиции играют большую роль в жизни людей)
I think if we keep up our traditions, we preserve national history and culture. (Я думаю, если мы придерживаемся своих традиций, мы сохраняем национальную историю и культуру)
Holidays are especially rich in old traditions. (Праздники особенно богаты старыми традициями)
There are three types of holidays in different countries: state or public holidays, religious holidays and family holidays. (Есть три вида праздников в разных странах: государственные или национальные праздники, религиозные и семейные)
State holidays usually relate to state history and impotent events of the country. (Государственные праздники обычно относятся к государственной истории и важным событиям страны)
Such holidays unite people, make them feel proud of their nation. (Такие праздники объединяют людей, заставляют их чувствовать гордость за свой народ)
For example, in my country there are state or public holidays such as Constitution Day, New Year's Day, the International Women's Day, May Day, Victory Day, Independence Day and others. (Например, в моей стране есть такие государственные или общественные праздники как День Конституции, Новый Год, Международный женский день, День Победы, День Независимости и др.)
State organisations, banks and companies do not work on these days. (Государственные организации, банки и компании не работают в эти дни)
People spend holi¬day time with their families and friends; they go to theatres or exhibitions, or go to city centre where there are usually folk festivals and concerts in the open air and celebrate with other people. (Люди проводят праздничное время с семьями и друзьями; ходят в театры или на выставки, или идут в городской центр, где обычно фольклорные фестивали и концерты на открытом воздухе и празднуют с другими людьми)
I think that some like holidays are in many other countries. (Думаю, что некоторые подобные праздники есть во многих других странах)
New Year's Day is the major family holiday for many Russians. It is a national holiday in Russia, on which most businesses and public offices are closed. Schools and universi¬ties are closed too. (Новый Год – главный семейный праздник для многих русских. Это народный праздник в России, на который большинство деловых и государственных офисов закрыты. Школы и университеты закрыты тоже.)
Religious holidays include Christmas, Easter and some others. There is also a pagan holiday - Shrovetide or Pancake Day. (Религиозные праздники включают Рождество, Пасху и некоторые другие. Есть также языческий праздник Масленица или Блинный день)
Preparation for Christmas are always pleasant: buying gifts, sending Christmas cards and decorating Christmas tree with small, bright-colored lights. Churches hold a special Christmas services. Christmas starts in the morning with the smell of cookies, cakes, chocolate and cinnamon. (Приготовление к Рождеству всегда приятно: покупка подарков, отправление Рождественских открыток и украшение Рождественской ели маленькими, цветными огнями. Церкви проводят специальные Рождественские службы. Рождество начинается утром с запахом печенья, пирожных, шоколада и карицы.)
I like also to prepare for Easter with my family: we colour and decorate Easter eggs, cook Easter cakes and paskha, attend a church service. (Я также люблю готовиться к Пасхе с моей семьей: мы красим и украшаем Пасхальные яйца, готовим Пасхальные куличи и пасху, посещаем церковную службу.)
Shrovetide is very fine holiday in Russia. It is the time to say goodbye to long cold Russian winter. (Масленица очень веселый праздник в России. Это время проводить долгую холодную русскую зиму.)
People cook and eat very many pancakes, go to city centre where there is a fair with folk concerts, outdoor traditional games and funs. In the end of this holiday people burn in effigy of winter. (Люди готовят и едят очень много блинов, идут в центр города, где ярмарка с фольклорными концертами, традиционными подвижными играми и забавами. В конце этого праздника люди сжигают чучело зимы.)
Family holidays include birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and other family celebrations. Different families have different traditions of celebrations. (Семейные праздники включают дни рождения, свадьбы, юбилеи.и др.семейные празднества.)
My favourite family holiday is New Year's Day. A week before the celebration we decorate a New Year tree with colourful glass balls and toys. My family usually has the New Year dinner. When the clock strikes midnight, we give each other presents. Later, we watch TV and relax and go outside to watch fireworks. (Мой любимый семейный праздник Новы Год. За неделю до празднования мы наряжаем елку красочными стеклянными шарами и игрушками. Моя семья обычно имеет Новогодний ужин. Когда часы бьют полночь, мы дарим друг другу подарки. Позднее смотрим ТВ и отдыхаем и идем на улицу смотреть фейерверки)
Another celebration which I like is my birthday. (Другой праздник, который я люблю – мой ДР)
Usually my friends and I get together, have a party either at my flat or in a cafe and then go' for a walk. I like getting presents and having fun. (Обычно мои друзья и я проводим вместе, устраиваем вечеринку в моей квартире или в кафе, а затем идем гулять. Я люблю получать подарки и веселиться.)
I think that holidays and traditions are important because they connect people and give them an opportunity to have fun and enjoy themselves. (Думаю, праздники и традиции важны, потому что они соединяют людей и дают им возможность веселиться и радоваться.)
Halloween, name applied to the evening of October 31, preceding the Christian feast of Hallowmas, Allhallows, or All Saints' Day. The observances connected with Halloween are thought to have originated among the ancient Druids, who believed that on that evening, Saman, the lord of the dead, called forth hosts of evil spirits. The Druids customarily lit great fires on Halloween, apparently for the purpose of warding off all these spirits. Among the ancient Celts, Halloween was the last evening of the year and was regarded as a propitious time for examining the portents of the future. The Celts also believed that the spirits of the dead revisited their earthly homes on that evening. After the Romans conquered Britain, they added to Halloween features of the Roman harvest festival held on November 1 in honor of Pomona, goddess of the fruits of trees. The Celtic tradition of lighting fires on Halloween survived until modern times in Scotland and Wales, and the concept of ghosts and witches is still common to all Halloween observances. Traces of the Roman harvest festival survive in the custom, prevalent in both the United States and Great Britain, of playing games involving fruit, such as ducking for apples in a tub of water. Of similar origin is the use of hollowed-out pumpkins carved to resemble grotesque faces and lit by candles placed inside
In English homes, the fireplace has always been, until recent times, the focal point in the room. People may like to sit at a window on a summer day, but for many cold months of the year they like to sit round the fire and watch the dancing flames. In the Middle Ages the fireplaces in the halls of large castles were very wide. Only wood was burnt, and it was brought from the forests. Such wide fireplaces may be seen now in old inns. Elizabethian fireplaces often had carved stone or woodwork over the fireplace. In the 18th century space was often provided over the fireplace for a painting or mirror. When coal fires became common, fireplaces became much smaller. Grates were used to hold the coal. Above the fireplace there was usually a shelf on which there was often a clock and framed photographs of the members of the family. So sitting in front of the bright fire is one of the most popular hobbies of the British people.
Father's Day comes on the third Sunday in June. It is not a national holiday on that day. Americans honour their fathers. Many people send their fathers a card or a gift. Americans are great letter-writers. Whatever happens in a family, they congratulate all the members. They congratulate people on Easter, Christmas and Whitsun. They do not have to possess great literary talent themselves, because one can find printed texts for all possible occasions. One may select and check any of these suggested texts: "Here's to Father: always loved, respected, and admired". "Warmest wishes for your happiness on Father's Day and ever after". About 1909, the churches of Spokane, Washington, set aside the day to honour fathers. The custom soon spread throughout the United States and Canada. During the autumn, some colleges celebrate Dad's Day. They set aside a Saturday during the football season. On Dad's Day, they honour the fathers among the members and friends of the college.
If you arrive in Great Britain you'll hear the word "tradition" everywhere. Englishmen have sentimental love for things and traditions. They never throw away old things.
In many houses in Great Britain they have fire-places and though their bedrooms are awfully cold, the English people do not want to have central heating because they do not want to have changes.
Therefore the Yeomen-Warders are dressed in traditional medieval clothes and the traditional dress of the Horse Guards regiment has existed since the twelfth century.
In the House of Lords of the British Parliament there are two rows of benches for lords and a sack of wool for the Lord Chancellor to sit on it. This is so because in the old times wool made England rich and powerful. In the House of Commons you will see two rows of benches for the two parties: the government on one side and the opposition — on the other. In front of the benches there is the strip on a carpet and when a member speaking in the House puts his foot beyond that strip, there is a shout "Order!". This dates from the time when the members had swords on them and during the discussion might want to start fighting. The word "order" reminded them that no fighting was allowed in the House.
Another old custom remains from the time when there was a lot of robbers in London. In those days the shouting "Who goes home?" was often heard in the Houses of Parliament and the members went in groups along the dark narrow streets of the old city. In modem London with its well-lit streets the shouting "Who goes home?" is still heard.
With the exception of breakfast meals in England are much the same as in other countries. The usual meals in Great Britain are breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. The English are very fastidious about their meals and keep to their meal times strictly. Breakfast time is between 7 and 9 a. m. Many people like to begin it with porridge. English people eat porridge with milk or cream and sugar, but the Scots — and Scotland is the home of porridge — never put sugar in it. Then comes bacon and eggs, marmalade with toast and tea or coffee. For a change you can have a boiled egg, cold ham or perhaps fish. The two substantial meals of the day, lunch and dinner, are more or less the same. Lunch is usually taken at one o'clock. Many people, who go out to work, find it difficult to come home for lunch and go to a cafe or a restaurant, but they never miss a meal. Lunch is a big meal — meat or fish, potatoes and salad, puddings or fruit are quite usual for it. In the afternoon, about four o'clock, the English have a cup of tea and a cake, or a slice or two of bread and butter. Tea is very popular with the English; it may be called their national drink. The English like it strong and fresh made. Tea must be brewed as follows: one teaspoon for each person and one for the pot. They drink it with or without sugar, but almost always with milk. It is important to pour tea into milk, and not vice versa. Their "high tea" at 5 o'clock is very famous. Tea is accompanied by ham, tomatoes and salad, bread and butter, fruit and cakes. Dinnertime is generally about half past seven or later. In some houses dinner is the biggest meal of the day. They begin with soup, followed by fish, roast chicken, potatoes and vegetables, fruit and coffee. But in great many English homes the midday meal is the chief one of the day, and in the evening they only have light meal, for example, bread and cheese and a cup of coffee or cocoa and fruit.
In 1492 Columbus sailed Ocean Blue". This little rhyme many American children learn to remember the date when Christopher Columbus "discovered" America. 'But was Christopher Columbus really the first person to discover the continent and return home to tell about it? Probably not, but he was the first to return to Europe and tell all about what he believed to be a new route to Asia. Most people in Columbus' days thought that the earth was flat, and they did not believe that a route to the India across the Atlantic would be shorter and safer than a route around Africa. He did not have the money to buy ships and hire sailors. At first Columbus asked the king of Portugal to pay for his voyage. The king asked his advisers, and after their report he denied to help Columbus. Then Columbus travelled to Spain to ask Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand for help. Six years later Isabella gave Columbus three caravels: the Santa Maria, the Nina, and the Pinta. Columbus's crew last saw land on the eastern horizon on the 9th of September, 1492. On the 12th of October, 1492, when everybody was very tired and anxious, the lookout on the Pinta saw something like a white cliff shining in the moonlight. Columbus named the land he had reached San Salvador. He thought they landed in Asia. On the 15th of March, 1493, Columbus was back to Spain with two of his ships. He brought parrots, an alligator, a few pieces of gold jewelry, some unusual plants, and six American Indians.
Customs and traditions of english speaking countries
Written by buxdu.uzEvery country and every nation has it's own traditions and customs. It's very important to know traditions and customs of different people. It will help you to know more about the history and life of different nations and countries.One cannot speak about England without speaking about it's traditions and customs. They are very important in the life of English people. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up.